Latinx groups make up 18.3 percent of the population in the U.S. and 5.4 percent of Iowa State’s student population, according to Beate Schmittman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

On Saturday, the U.S. Latino/a Studies (USLS) program held its 25 Year Anniversary Symposium, a full day of emotional speeches and conversations brimming with laughter, tears and gratitude in celebration of all that the Latinx community and its allies have accomplished and learned inside and outside the Iowa State campus.

The day began with reflections from the core faculty of USLS: Megan Myers, assistant professor of world languages and cultures, and Brian Behnken, associate professor of history. They talked about their formative experiences that got them involved in Latinx studies and why they became so passionate about their work. Myers spoke of her international engagement work that she integrates into her classes and a volunteer-based organization she helped found called Border of Lights, which honors the lives lost and the solidarity maintained during the Haitian genocide of 1937.

Behnken discussed his view on diversity and what he said the term really encompasses, arguing that it is a two-way street that many in American society may misinterpret.

“I think too often, at universities especially and in society more generally, […] [diversity] is thought of, especially by white folks I would say, as what people of color bring to the table, or how, basically, we can benefit from that,” Behnken said.

During the next panel, students of USLS talked about their experience in the program and what they have gained from their involvement.

Joe Medina, a senior in industrial technology and a first generation college student, talked about his maternal family history that was lost when they moved from El Paso, Texas, in the 1960s. He said that in taking USLS 211, Introduction to USLS, he was able to learn more about his history and was inspired to become a student ambassador in the program.

María “Lupe” Durán, a sophomore in global resource systems, was born in Mexico. She said she had a difficult time convincing her parents that she wanted to go to college because they did not understand that it would be possible, but she was determined. She became more involved in civic engagement, became the first Mexican student president at her high school and was accepted into Iowa State.

“I think this program is very helpful, not only for students who are white who want to learn about our culture, but also for us Latino students who want to know more about where we come from and how we got here because there’s been a lot of changes between our cultures,” Durán said.

The next panel discussed leadership and shaping engaged citizens through faculty and student collaboration in USLS.

The panelists said there is a strong commitment to integrating course and community in the program, demonstrated through students working with members of various communities off-campus. Grant Sincox, junior in world languages and cultures, Ariadna Delgado-Ruiz, senior in criminal justice studies, and Jianna Dakin-Seiler, senior in world languages and cultures, were among the first students to participate in USLS/Spanish 325X, a course where the students worked with English as a Second Language students in Perry, Iowa.

“I had never realized how much of a change we were making in these kids’ lives just from going every other weekend for like an hour-ish, just sitting there talking to them, telling them about us and hearing about them, and so the last day actually some of them cried because they were upset it was the last day we were going to see them,” Delgado-Ruiz said.

After a lunch break consisting of an array of traditional foods, the audience nearly doubled for the keynote speaker, William “Memo” Nericcio, professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University.

He spoke on stereotypes of Latinx culture, where they come from and how he pushes back against them through his art and writing. He comes from Loredo, Texas, and described the United State’s border as a tapestry, a rich fabric of the country that needs love, analysis and research to understand.

The next panel, titled Latinx in the Sciences, involved faculty members discussing their experiences in a field where they don’t see many other members of the Latinx community. An attendee asked the professors how they navigated the “white space” at Iowa State, historically a predominantly white institution.

“I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, or just be oblivious to it […]  If you do your job well because you like your job, you’ll excel at it, right?” said Nicole Valenzuela, professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology. “And then your results will show, and they will learn to judge you for your character.” 

The Latinx and Latinx-Allied Voices panel members shared their own experiences on and off campus in terms of assisting Latinx students through programs like ISU 4U, which has a long-term commitment to help underprivileged students earn up to one hundred percent tuition by completing Kindergarten through fifth grade at partnered elementary schools.

The panel also talked about how Latinx identity and background shapes the college experience for students and what resources they are implementing to help students transition to college. They encouraged students of all ethnicities to help push back against limited thinking often set in institutional policy making.

The last panel of the day discussed the future of Latinx Studies at Iowa State. Rita Mookerjee, lecturer of sociology, spoke on inclusion. She stressed the value of modeling inclusive language for students, attempting to give them an understanding of the context of readings and teaching material using a variety of sources and modes of discussion to facilitate a thorough understanding of the subjects taught.

For Latinx studies in particular, Sebastian Braun, associate professor of world languages and cultures, discussed the political point that ethnic studies make and how the studies themselves attempt to reach a broader audience.

“Any fight for inclusion needs to begin with a fight for assertion,” Braun said. “We need to know who we are, why we are here and fight for the right to have a voice. For ethnic studies programs, this is a fight for academic recognition and acknowledgement of expertise. This fight should actually bring ethnic studies programs together because we share it. We need to collaborate and have a voice that is heard loud and clear.”